During the five decades of organizational experiences, some sayings and business principals stand out. These come from clients, friends and others who over time have lost their origin. If they work for you by all means use them, just make them work!
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“Run until you hear the glass break!” This was a client’s response to the direction of a turn around situation. The client meant, “keep doing what you are doing, don’t look back until you hear me yell”.
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All generalizations are false, including this one. No one solution fit all situations.
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The organizational world is not black and white, don’t treat it that way. Stay flexible.
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The only thing that is constant is change! Think of what was not present even 20 years ago and how they changed the way we live and do business. For instance: cell phones, the Internet, pocket change for the phone booth (what is that?), air travel hassles, Skype, GPS even on the golf course . . . the future is exciting.
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The future always arrives before you are ready! Keep reserves for unexpected changes that occur.
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Problems rarely solve themselves. If you keep doing what you are doing you will keep getting what you got. I heard this one while developing a strategic plan for a beauty product import firm.
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You will accomplish what you measure. Every marketing activity needs to be measured; the Internet lends itself to market testing.
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Keep it simple so management can succeed. Polite way of say the KISS concept, “Keep it Simple Stupid”
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Procrastination is management’s worst enemy; “get the facts, face the facts and take the action the facts dictate”. Partially taken from R. C Davis a management professor at Ohio State decades ago.
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It is better to be effective than efficient. Effective is doing the right thing and efficient is doing a task in the optimum manner.
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The Chief Executive Officer needs to spend at least 20% of the time with customers. It is call Press the Flesh Theory or capture the passion of the business. It is too easy to lose the clients’ pulse.
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Business decisions should be made at the lowest level in the organization not the highest. Study the successful business where the customer contact can immediately solve a problem; a sales person with $ authority to make a customer satisfied quickly or the hotel clerk who made your day or even the airline person at the kiosk that saved your trip. They all had the authority at the lowest level you don’t forget.
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Management is not complicated; it involves only four scarce resources for your focus; Minutes, Manpower, Money and Materials. Sounds simple, right?
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Management functions can be broken down into four categories: Planning, Organizing Motivating and Controlling (POMC).
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Manage growth situations tighter than stable business; planning is a rolling 12 months constant budget/profit plan. Small businesses under $100 million in sales who are entrepreneurial, especially benefit with planned growth.
- Trust your intuition if you are right 80% of the time, if not. you better have a management team you trust 100%.
